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What are you watching on Blu-ray? (and discussion of said titles)

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blu-ray
375K views 2K replies 240 participants last post by  eljay 
#1 ·
I now have had the good fortune of watching two complete movies on Blu-ray and what a joy it has been.

The first was Ice Age 2 which I watched on a review 720p front projector, 100" screen and the PS3. Stunning to watch. Cute movie the kids really enjoyed.

Last night, I watched the Italian Job on a a review 1080p front projector and the PS3. I have never seen the movie and really quite enjoyed it. As far as picture quality goes, it was jaw dropping. Contrast was great, details were great, picture quality was great. Simply the sweetest picture!
 
#1,463 ·
Mr. Nobody - It's 2092, and 118 year-old Nemo Nobody is about to have a very public death; but first he must tell his life's story to a reporter. That story is an imaginative, visually stunning rumination on choice, destiny, fate and love. Evokes other films like The Fall, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Inception. A little long at almost 2.5 hours.
Video and Audio presentation on the blu-ray are both excellent.
 
#1,465 ·
Nowhere Boy - A biopic that purportedly tells the story of John Lennon leading up to the formation of The Beatles, his efforts to rebuild a relationship with his mother and endure a fractured relationship with his aunt, who brought him up. A sad story with some fine performances. The film shows remarkable restraint in not going for the easy-hit finish either.
PQ is good, although a little washed-out at times, perhaps to give the film a period look.
AQ is excellent.
 
#1,466 ·
Paper Man - Jeff Daniels, a struggling novelist, and Emma Stone, a teenager with her own pain, strike up an unlikely friendship when Daniels hunkers down in a rented cottage to begin work on his second book. It might go better if his surgeon-wife, Lisa Kudrow, wouldn't put so much pressure on him, or if he'd be able to stop leaning on guidance from his super hero imaginary protector, Captain Excellent.
Paper Man is a little too quirky, and it feels overly long despite its 97-minute run time, but Stone and Daniels are excellent, and some of the pathos is truly heart-wrenching. Worth a look if you're in the mood for something a little off-beat.
PQ is good, for a small budget independent film. Ditto the AQ.
 
#1,467 ·
Saw Decadence (aka Saw The Final Chapter, aka Saw 3D)

oh my god. Can this franchise get any worse? As a 3D mindless movie, My Bloody Valentine 3D is far better than this movie; story.... what story?; picture quality... the colour is so unnatural and filled with digital grain (not the "good" kind of grain) I had to stop playing the movie using my FP and played it on my 50" in my bedroom (about 15' viewing distance) just to make the picture quality more bearable.

This movie is not even worth the cost of stamping the disc.

Avoid at all cost.
 
#1,468 ·
Avatar

Well, I held off buying it as long as could,waiting for the price to come down.But a Christmas gift certificate was burning a hole in my pocket...

This movie is THE BEST BD I have watched and listened to. It's stunning eye and ear candy.I saw the movie in IMAX 3D at a theatre,but watching in 2D at home was still very enjoyable.

This movie will be my go-to demo movie for a while.
 
#1,471 ·
This movie is THE BEST BD I have watched and listened to. It's stunning eye and ear candy.I saw the movie in IMAX 3D at a theatre,but watching in 2D at home was still very enjoyable.
+1 on that!

We also saw it in 3D IMAX on opening weekend - wow! talk about lineups!! - and have seen it since from Blu-Ray, and find it to be top notch all the way, a great way to show off your home theatre setup while enjoying an excellent movie.
 
#1,469 ·
Rob Roy

This movie seems to have had a pretty quiet North American release last month (I think it was released in Europe some time ago).

It's without a doubt the most bare bones presentation of a BD-format movie I've ever seen - the title menu is a rather low-res static photo, with basic menu options for movie playback. There are no extras to speak of. Kind of what you would expect to see on a (really) old b movie DVD title.

Both audio and video quality are average. Not bad, but not really that good.

I like the movie, so still enjoyed watching it.
 
#1,470 ·
Social Network - Good movie. Mark Zuckerberg comes across as a very evil man. Picture Quality wise I found the movie very dark.

Secretariat - Based on l "Secretariat: The Making of a Champion" By William Nack, Secretariat chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. No surprises but heart warming family friendly movie. Diane Lane puts in a masterful performance as Diane Lane and I was pleasantly surprised with John Malkovich.
 
#1,472 ·
Social Network - Picture Quality wise I found the movie very dark.
Pretty much a signature trait of director David Fincher. I just watched Se7en (new digibook version w/ OAR, not the Alliance version). Very dark & gloomy, but the PQ & AQ were outstanding. One of my favourite films of all time.
 
#1,474 ·
L'immortel: 22 Bullets - Jean Reno is a retired mobster in Marseille, France, satisfied with living quietly and doting on his family. But when an old rival's hit squad tries to take him out but doesn't succeed, he embarks on a campaign to avenge the attempt on his life while staying one step ahead of the police.
This is a violent, stylishly-made thriller that doesn't really break any new ground as a revenge movie. Well-acted, with some memorable characters. A guilty pleasure.
PQ and AQ are both very good.
 
#1,475 ·
Never Let Me Go - If Frankenstein wore a grey sweater and attended a British boarding school in the countryside, he'd be a character in this sad and disturbing story of three childhood friends who are doomed because of a national organ donor program of which they are unwitting and designed participants. Affecting, thoughtful, nicely filmed, although a little slow, even glacial at times.
PQ is beautiful. AQ is solid for a very quiet film.
 
#1,476 ·
Secretariat - In 1973, a big red stallion captured the imagination of the world with his incredible heart and desire to win races, including the first Triple Crown in 25 years. Secretariat is one of those special sports heroes who transcended their sport, attracting people to pay attention to the Kentucky Derby or Belmont Stakes who might otherwise never give such events a moment's notice.
Too bad Secretariat the movie doesn't measure up.
Oh, it's capably-filmed, occasionally even beautiful. And it's got a decent cast, like Diane Lane and John Malkovich. But it's too long, and despite the compelling subject matter, it just misses the mark on an emotional level. The film feels empty, devoid of heart, content to just hit all the expected marks but never challenge the viewer to go any further.
PQ is mostly excellent, although, as explained in one of the supplementary features, some of the nifty techniques used to bring the viewer into the races meant sacrificing cinematic quality in favor of small, light HD video cameras.
AQ is also very good, nice atmosphere in the surrounds and some gut-thumping bass during the races. Why must Disney movies always use thunder to signal dramatic moments?
 
#1,477 ·
Monsters - An American journalist and the daughter of a media magnate are trying to get home from Mexico; but to get there they'll have to cross through the "infected zone," a massive territory of northern Mexico to the U.S. border that is inhabited by giant alien creatures who've settled in after the crash of an exploratory space probe.
Made on a shoestring budget with a minimal crew by a visual effects artist turned director, Monsters is an effective little sci-fi thriller in which much of the terror comes from what you don't see as what you do see. Not as bombastic at Cloverfield, nor as obvious in its parable about a real political situation as District 9.
PQ is very good for a low-budget, shot-on-digital film. AQ is excellent.
 
#1,478 ·
RED - The quiet lives of four retired Special Forces agents are thrown into chaos when they discover that members of their former team have been assassinated and that they are next on the hit list. Re-united and rusty but still lethal, the four survivors undertake one final mission: Find out who is targetting them and why, and put an end to it so that they can get back to enjoying their retirement.

This movie wasn't quite the straight-ahead action-comedy we were expecting. It was a bit darker and a bit goofier, and the writing (plot and dialogue) was clumsy at times. Aside from that - and from Mary-Lousie Parker's irritating character - it was watchable.

PQ and AQ were very good.
 
#1,479 ·
Breaking Bad
Simply the best drama currently on TV (well, on hiatus right now, with new shows slated to run this spring/summer, I think). Got Season 1 and Season 2 on Blu-ray to re-watch the story of cancer-stricken middle-aged schlub of a high-school teacher (Bryan Cranston) "breaking bad" to sell crystal meth with the help of a loser-stoner former student.
Mayhem ensues.
Accomplished via brilliantly written characters, excellent acting, beautiful photography, intriguing storylines, and some dark, dark comedy. Loving it.

PQ: I thought the visuals would be better, to tell you the truth. Looks more like a really good upconvert from DVD than true blu-ray. Kind of grainy; colours don't really pop like it looks like they should. There are some beautiful vistas and time-lapse shown, but given what I've seen on other Blu-ray, I just expected a bit more.
AQ: The wife had to turn on the TV on the other side of the house just to cover the sound from the HT so she could read. 'nuff said. :)
 
#1,480 ·
Let Me In - A shy twelve-year-old boy falls for his new next-door neighbour's daughter, a pretty but mysterious girl with a secret she's afraid to reveal...and which he may regret to learn.

My wife and I expected a horror flick, but were pleasantly surprised by what turned out to be a dark, low-key and even touching story of friendship and devotion. Wonderful work by Chloe Moretz ("Kick-Ass") and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

PQ and AQ were very good.
 
#1,481 ·
Conviction - Betty Ann and her brother Kenny have a lifelong bond that is so strong, when Kenny is convicted of the brutal murder of a local woman, Betty Ann embarks on a 18-year journey to become a lawyer so she can prove his innocence. The story feels a little too simplified, but Hillary Swank and Sam Rockwell give winning performances.
PQ is very good, nicely detailed. AQ is solid.
 
#1,482 ·
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - As Lisbeth Salander recovers from her recent near-death ordeal, determined to have her revenge on the people who have harmed her, reporter Mikael Blomkvist continues to delve into the secret governmental organization known as "The Section" in an effort to expose its illegal activities and, with the help of his lawyer sister, to clear Lisbeth's name. It won't be easy going for any of them, though: The men behind "The Section" will do everything in their power to discredit and silence Lisbeth and Mikael, and to preserve their anonymity.

Despite being somewhat dialogue-heavy and aside from some weak plot developments, the final instalment to the Stieg Larsson trilogy, like its predecessor, was reasonably well-paced, enjoyable and satisfying.

PQ and AQ were good.
 
#1,483 ·
A Passage to India - Cultural mistrust and false accusations doom a friendship in British colonial India between an Indian doctor, an Englishwoman engaged to marry a city magistrate, and an English educator.

It wasn't my turn to pick the movie to watch but I still gave it a chance. The movie was actually quite good and I enjoyed it. Kind of lengthy at 2-3/4 hours long but I'm sure fans of this type of film wouldn't notice.

PQ was really good, very happy with the transfer to BD. AQ nothing demo worthy here but dialog was easy to hear and the little effects sometimes even used the surrounds.
 
#1,484 ·
Alien Anthology - so far I've only watched the first two (directors cut for both). There is a lot of detail seen more easily than on the Alien Quadrilogy DVD set, much better colour. One example is during the scene where Gorman and Vasquez are in the air duct, and one alien comes punching through a grill on the "floor". Previously, I had to step through that scene to actually see the alien (just a dark blob, except when the gun fire lit the scene), but with the blu-ray, I could easily see the beastie coming through.
Unfortunately, I can't comment on the SQ, as I've had my surround system pulled apart and could only listen in stereo. It'll get another viewing in surround glory asap.
 
#1,485 ·
Unstoppable - A careless mistake by an engineer sends a freight train with volatile cargo careening on course to disaster. A series of attempts to board or otherwise derail the runaway train are unsuccessful, until retiring engineer Denzel Washington and his young conductor, Chris Pine, piloting their own train on a collision course, concoct their own plan to avert disaster.
Of course, this is a Tony Scott movie, so things like logic, reality, and the general laws of physics are suspended for an action-packed! thrill ride! that never lets up! and plenty of exclamation marks! It's hammy, the dialogue is ridiculous, but it sure gets your heart pounding! Take it for what it is, and you'll have a good time.
The PQ and AQ on this blu-ray are outstanding. We're dealing with big rumbling trains here, so expect plenty of gut-churning bass; warn your neighbors!
 
#1,487 ·
1. Runaway Train
2 Under Siege 2
It's been years since I've seen the former, and I've never seen the latter.

The plot of Unstoppable is about as basic as it gets: Runaway train with volatile cargo must be stopped or disaster will ensue. Everything else, the cold, calculating corporation, the family problems of the two heroes, is incidental and barely developed.
 
#1,489 ·
Buried - Paul Conroy, an American truck driver in Iraq, is knocked unconscious during an ambush by "insurgents" and awakens to find himself buried alive in a box beneath the desert sands. With only a cellphone, his courage and a limited supply of oxygen to help him, Paul has very little time to find a way to escape his confines before the grave he's in becomes a permanent residence.

A decent, though somewhat underwhelming movie, but through no fault of Reynolds'. The story and acting are solid, but there's only so much you can do with one actor in a coffin, and 90 minutes is stretching the limit. Still, it's worth a look.

PQ - for a movie that takes place in a box - was very good. AQ was also very good, and featured some good use of the surrounds.
 
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